Sustainability & Climate change

Future-Ready environmental services

Future-Ready, the flagship of the WSP Opus sustainability programme, aims to give our experts a consistent understanding of what we believe a future world will look like – including climate, society, resources and technology - and challenges them to offer designs ready both for this future and current design codes.

We are the first global practice to develop such a program. Including future trends in our advice to clients helps them plan for the long term and makes good business sense. This is one of the ways in which we create value for them.

WHAT WE DO

WSP Opus is works with our communities to clearly articulate a future for New Zealand, by imagining the impossible and creating the enduring. We are actively seeking out the most transformative, innovative solutions to pioneer a more sustainable future propelled by international brainpower.

WSP Opus has been a leading New Zealand design and engineering consultancy for 148 years. As Kiwi’s we have deep roots in our country, with our local expertise contributing to some of New Zealand’s most significant infrastructure and transportation projects. In New Zealand, we operate from a network of 40 offices and employs more than 1,700 talented people.

Climate adaptation requires hard engineering solutions - better flood defences, designing buildings differently, retrofitting buildings - as well as clever science and changes in behaviour. WSP Opus is well set up to deliver on this through our project delivery, our approach lies in our commitment to listening to our clients and provide forward-thinking advice and expertise locally to help our communities thrive in a changing world.We focus on unlocking opportunities to reduce cost, create brand value, and mitigate risk across the value chain. Our breadth of technical expertise in sustainability strategy, greenhouse gas and resource management, sustainable energy, sustainable products and supply chain, and climate preparedness supports client needs across sectors and geographies.

We have enjoyed working with clients of all types all around the world. We developed the climate plan for the City of Johannesburg. We developed the sustainability strategy for the Stockholm Royal Seaport development. We helped one of Germany's main power companies to understand the impact on different types of generation. We undertook the industry's first study of the environmental impacts of cloud computing for Microsoft. We provided engineering expertise for 1 Shelley Street in Sydney - a 6-star Green Star office building. We are working with the UK Government's Technology Strategy Board on future-proofing existing buildings such as Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. And we developed an energy efficient mobility plan for downtown Zarqa in Jordan.

Global climate change and political context are among the factors that impact the projects to which we contribute. Environmental rules and regulations vary across countries and evolve over the years. Digital technologies are revolutionising the tools we use and how we deliver our work. WSP Opus experts are up-to-date on the latest trends and challenges related to the environment. We have a strong research and innovation programme on circular economy, biodiversity and healthy construction. In all of this, we are passionate about using our scale to lead the transition to a prosperous, resilient, and sustainable society.

Our combined strength is in the sectors of Transport, Property & Buildings, Water and Power, as well as in worldclass whole-of-life asset management, environmental services and innovation.

In 1946, following the Royal Commission on Trans-Harbour Facilities, the Ministry of Works started site investigations and borings of the seabed along the proposed centre line of the Auckland harbour bridge. British bridge designers Messrs Freeman, Fox & Partners were asked to complete preliminary designs. In 2018, WSP Opus quantified the greenhouse gas emissions associated with maintenance operations works by the Auckland Harbour Bridge Alliance on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

1956

Scott Base

Frank Ponder from the Ministry of Works designed and constructing the Scott Base in 1956. WSP Opus worked with Meridian Energy and Antarctic New Zealand to install and commission three wind turbines to generate electricity for Scott Base and the American McMurdo Station. WSP Opus is excited to be involved the redevelopment of New Zealand’s home in Antarctica – Scott Base.

2006

One World Trade Centre

WSP Global was the structural engineers to One World Trade Centre. The Centre includes sustainable architecture design. Much of the building's structure and interior is built from recycled materials, including gypsum boards and ceiling tiles; around 80 percent of the tower's waste products are recycled. The building implements a rainwater collection and recycling scheme for its cooling systems. The building's PureCell phosphoric acid fuel cells generate 4.8 megawatts (MW) of power, and its waste steam generates electricity. The tower also makes use of off-site hydroelectric and wind power. The windows are made of an ultra-clear glass, which allows maximum sunlight to pass through; the interior lighting is equipped with dimmers that automatically dim the lights on sunny days, reducing energy costs.Like all of the new facilities at the World Trade Center site, One World Trade Center is heated by steam, with limited oil or natural gas utilities on-site.

2009

The Shard

WSP Global was the structural engineers to the Shard. The building was designed with energy efficiency in mind. It is fitted with a combined heat and power plant, operating on natural gas from the National Grid. Fuel is efficiently converted to electricity and heat is recovered from the engine to provide hot water for the building.

2014

2014 Renewable energy options of four Pacific Island nations

WSP Opus led this technical assistance programme to support Pacific Island nation’s initiatives to reduce their on-going reliance on imported fossil fuels for electricity generation. Working with the New Zealand Aid Programme (the New Zealand Government’s international aid and development programme managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), WSP Opus led a team of seven individual consultancies covering eight different specialist disciplines operating out of New Zealand, Australia and the USA. The project assessed the renewable energy options of four Pacific Island nations (Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, and Tuvalu) encompassing some 15 islands and resulting in approximately 30 individual wind or solar/PV renewable energy projects.

2018

Building resilience to climate change in Vanuatu

Over a three-year period WSP Opus is carrying out a number of activities in ecology, waste management, ecotourism, alternative incomes, marine, capacity building, and education.

WSP Opus' work in ecology includes managing protected areas; protecting biodiversity, soils and water resources; and controlling pests that affect crops and biodiversity.WSP Opus are also managing water generation and disposal through waste management.

For every project, WSP Opus assembles an experienced team of scientists, management consultants and engineers to accelerate and increase the impact of its work. We have over 40 staff working in sustainability and climate change solutions consulting services across the New Zealand business.

WSP Global are well established in the sustainability and climate change consultancy services market, with over 4000 staff working across 550 offices and there is significant opportunity to offer this weight to our New Zealand's clients.